Tag: Testosterone

One of the worst things I have found about PCOS, more so than the weight gain, is the hairiness! I hate it! For as long as I can remember I have always had a faint moustache (which resulted in years of bleaching throughout high school, only to still be picked on by it) and in later years, waxing it. But boy oh boy does this become tiresome! Every single week having to wax my eyebrows and lip. There has always been those rogue “chest hairs” which pop up every blue moon. I’ve always had ‘blonde hairs’ everywhere, even all over my face and under my chin/neck but they haven’t been much of a bother, until now!

Of late, there has been more and more hair growing and getting darker. When I was in high school, we went to plenty of beauticians and laser clinics but they all said they couldn’t help me because I had what was referred to as “the blonde gene” which they couldn’t laser these hairs for some reason or another. But lately, these hairs, particularly on my chin/neck and chest/boobs, are getting darker, and longer! It is daunting and humiliating when your own father points out, very loudly, that something should be done about it and then your husband REALLY starts to notice them too.

I have tried to keep on top of it all by plucking darker ones out over the years, but now they are all going that way. I can deal with the hair on my arms, and the hair on my legs can be shaved away, but the rest on my face, neck and chest, is a nightmare. I have read that it could be caused by a number of factors, including too much testosterone and drinking too much milk.

One thing I have learnt recently is apparently I should be steering clear of dairy, as it releases IGF-1 aka Insulin Growth Factor 1. This apparently explains my excessive hair growth – I am so paranoid about the hair under my chin as it is so hard to get rid of/hide – and acne breakouts. Apparently, I can eat cheese within moderation but should avoid milks, especially low fat or fat free milks.
So far I have been good, have avoided ice creams and yoghurts, haven’t touched milk in a couple of weeks, and only had cheese on top of my chicken parma. Fingers crossed this reduces the acne outbreaks and stops the hair growth. Apparently it can take up to six months to see results, so I will post an update in approx. 5 months’ time to see if there is any reduction in this hairy situation.